Beat-boxer Zack Freeman has found a way to make music the way he wants to hear it.
Zack Freeman, dressed in a Samoan wrap called a "lava lava," plays to the crowd at the Southwest Learning Centers in Albuquerque. The beat-boxer records his voice on an electronic device, creating drum, bass and harmony tracks. He then sings live over the sounds.
Freeman, a married father of two, prefers elementary schools to the club circuit, spreading a message of peace, community and social justice. And what's up with the lava lava?
"My mother is Samoan, so I wear it to remind myself of who I am and where I am from, and it tends to spark lively conversations about diversity and gender roles," he says.
View photo »
Surrounded by acoustic guitar players, Zack Freeman performs at Ben Michael's Caf‚ in Old Town as part of the city Music Office's monthly songwriter series. Trying to define his music, he says, "I'm a cappella - nope. I'm electronica - nope. I'm . . . ahhhh . . ."
View photo »
Zack Freeman gets a hug from friend and Channel 27 personality Bonnie Greathouse in an editing room at the community cable station in Albuquerque. Freeman helps oversee programming and outreach programs at Channel 27.
View photo »
Students hit the dance floor as Albuquerque's Zack Freeman sings into his Electrix Repeater at the Southwest Learning Centers. His songs preach a message of peace, and his lyrics, he says, are "about not being rich and also feeling respect for your community."
View photo »
View photo »
View photo »
View photo »
View photo »
